Tesco's Sir Terry Leahy attacks 'woefully low' education standards
Sir Terry Leahy, the chief executive of Tesco, the UK's largest retailer, has slated the UK's education system, saying "woefully low" standards in too many schools leave private sector companies to "pick up the pieces".
Sir Terry Leahy, former chief executive of Tesco, is one of four new investors to have backed the £2m fundraising by the fashion website Photo: Newscast
By James Hall, Retail Editor
In an scathing attack, Sir Terry said that Tesco is the largest private employer in the country and therefore depends on high standards in schools.
"Sadly, despite all the money that has been spent, standards are still woefully low in too many schools. Employers like us are often left to pick up the pieces."
He added that too many educational agencies and bodies hamper the work of teachers in the classroom.
"One thing that government could do is to simplify the structure of our education system. From my perspective there are too many agencies and bodies, often issuing reams of instructions to teachers, who then get distracted from the task at hand: teaching children.
"At Tesco we try to keep paperwork to a minimum; instructions simple; structures flat; and – above all – we trust the people on the ground. I am not saying that retail is like education, merely that my experience tells me that when it comes to the number of people you have in the back office, 'less is more'," he said. Sir Terry was speaking at the Institute of Grocery Distribution's annual conference in London.
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A spokesman for the Department for Children, Schools and Families defended the UK's education system.
"Standards have never been higher in our secondary schools. The vast majority of people working in education are on the front line, teaching in our schools.
"We are working to lift the burden of administration tasks from teachers, freeing them up so they can concentrate on what they do best – teaching and preparing lessons. There are several non-departmental bodies, but it's clearly right and proper that issues such as exam standards are regulated by an independent body," he said.
Sir Terry was also critical of the tax burdens placed on businesses. "Today's recession can best be tackled if businesses – of all sizes, from the street stall to Tesco – are not burdened with more tax and more regulation.
"Both spell higher costs, less investment and fewer new jobs. And that, in turn, spells less revenue to help the Treasury pay back the debt," he said.
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